Pyrite is a sulfide mineral belonging to the pyrite group, primarily composed of iron sulfide. It is widely produced across the country, with major production areas in Sichuan, Hebei, Liaoning, and Guangdong. The original mineral pyrite is the most widely distributed sulfide in nature and can be found in various rocks and ores, often formed through volcanic sedimentation and hydrothermal processes. It has a pungent taste and a neutral nature, entering the liver meridian. Its effects include dispersing blood stasis, promoting bone healing, and relieving pain. Clinical names include pyrite and vinegar pyrite.
bubble_chart Compendium of Materia Medica
Rihuazi Bencao: Cool, expelling pus, dispersing static blood, promoting bone healing, treating postpartum blood disorders, calming the mind, and relieving palpitations. It is taken with wine.
Kaibao Bencao: Pungent taste, neutral nature, non-toxic. Treats fractures, disperses blood stasis, relieves pain, and breaks abdominal masses.
Bencao Yanyi Buyi: Pyrite is commonly used as a bone-healing medicine. However, there are many such formulas. Generally, fractures require tonifying qi, tonifying blood, and nourishing the stomach. Common practitioners seek quick results for profit, catering to patients' desires. Copper must be calcined before use. If freshly calcined, its fire toxin and metal toxicity can interact with aromatic heat toxins, and although it has bone-healing properties, its drying and dispersing effects can be more harmful than swords. Caution!
Bencao Gangmu: The bone-healing effects of pyrite are similar to copper filings and should not be dismissed. However, it should not be taken continuously after bone healing, and regulating qi and resolving stasis should suffice.
Bencao Jingshu: Pyrite is born from the energy of earth and metal, hence its pungent taste, neutral nature, and non-toxicity. It enters the blood and promotes blood circulation, making it a divine medicine for reuniting broken sinews and fractured bones. Fractures cause blood stasis and pain; its pungency disperses stagnant blood and breaks abdominal masses, relieving pain and healing injuries. Da Ming: It disperses static blood and pus, promotes bone healing, treats postpartum blood disorders, calms the mind, and relieves palpitations. Taken with wine, it fully utilizes its effects. Kou Zong-shi said: Someone fed pyrite to a goose with a broken wing, and it later flew away. Today, for injuries, it is finely ground with water and taken with Chinese Angelica and myrrh, half a qian each, mixed with wine. Rubbing the painful area with the hand provides immediate relief.Caution: Use only until the condition improves; do not overuse due to its fire and metal toxicity, which can cause excessive dispersion.
Yaoxing Jie: Pyrite has a pungent taste, neutral nature, and is non-toxic. It is not associated with specific meridians. It breaks abdominal masses, treats fractures, promotes bone healing, disperses blood stasis, expels pus, relieves pain, calms the mind, and treats postpartum blood disorders.
Note: Danxi said: Pyrite is commonly regarded as a key bone-healing medicine, but bone healing requires tonifying qi, tonifying blood, nourishing the stomach, and tonifying the kidneys. Common doctors seek quick results for profit, unaware of the harm caused by its drying and dispersing effects.
Jingyue Quanshu: Pungent taste, neutral nature, cool. Treats fractures, disperses static blood, promotes bone healing, expels pus, relieves pain, calms the mind, and relieves palpitations. It should be finely ground with water or taken with wine. However, its nature is highly drying and dispersing. Although its bone-healing effects are undeniable, it lacks nourishing benefits, so it should not be overused or relied upon exclusively.
Bencao Beiyao: Heavy, promotes bone healing.Pungent and neutral. Treats fractures, promotes bone healing, resolves stasis to stop pain. Fractures inevitably involve stagnant blood in the meridians, but one must assess deficiency and excess and supplement with blood-tonifying, qi-tonifying, and meridian-warming medicines. Copper must be calcined before use. Fire toxin and metal toxicity can interact with aromatic heat toxins, and although it has bone-healing properties, its drying and dispersing effects can be harmful. Use with caution. It is said that feeding pyrite to a goose with a broken wing caused it to fly away, hence its use in treating fractures.
Benjing Fengyuan: Pungent and neutral, slightly toxic.
Pyrite is found in copper mines, with a strong and rigid nature. It disperses fire and relieves pain, specializing in bone healing. After bone healing, regulating qi and resolving stasis should be prioritized to avoid harming the middle and dispersing vital qi.
Bencao Qiuzhen: [Comment] Disperses blood stasis, promotes bone healing, and relieves pain.
Pyrite specifically enters the bones. Why can it be used to set bones? It is because when bones are fractured, blood stasis occurs and causes pain. This pungent substance disperses stasis and breaks qi, thus stopping the pain and allowing the injury to heal naturally. How then can the bones not reconnect? Moreover, its nature is firm and strong, similar to bones, which is why it can enter the bones and reconnect them. Therefore, it is combined with frankincense, myrrh, insects, ancient five-zhu coins, hemp bark ash, Dragon's Blood Resin, and fetal bones to make pills. These are taken with a decoction of Chinese Angelica, Rehmannia, Dipsacus, Achyranthes Root, Moutan, and Carthamus, and are most effective for treating injuries from falls. However, it should be stopped once the condition is cured and not overused, as it may lead to the leakage of vital qi. Zhenheng said: Pyrite is commonly considered a bone-setting medicine, but there are many such formulas. Generally, it is suitable for tonifying qi, tonifying blood, and nourishing the stomach. Common practitioners only seek quick results, catering to the patient's wishes, but copper must be calcined before use. It is contraindicated for those with postpartum blood deficiency.
Depei Bencao: Acrid, neutral. Disperses blood, relieves pain, reunion of broken sinews and fractured bones.Bencao Xinbian: Also a type of lead, unrefined ore. Calcined with fire and quenched with vinegar, ground into fine powder. Treats injuries from falls, joins bones and tendons, heals fractures, disperses blood and relieves pain. Taken with hot wine, it achieves miraculous effects. If not calcined, do not mistakenly consume.
Pyrite is a divine medicine for treating fractures, yet it should be used sparingly in the elderly and weak. The elderly have solitary yang and little essence, the weak have qi deficiency and little blood. Although injuries from falls require reconnection, it is essential to use Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, Chinese Angelica, Sichuan Lovage Rhizome, Achyranthes Root, etc., as the main ingredients, with a small amount of pyrite as an adjuvant, to achieve quick results without harming essence and blood. If only pyrite is administered for quick results, without adding tonifying blood and essence ingredients, the calcined substance, being extremely dry, will exacerbate dryness and generate great heat, especially in the elderly and weak, who cannot withstand this. Although bones may reconnect, complications will arise, leading to indescribable disasters.
Bencao Fenjing: Acrid, neutral. Mainly treats fractures, continues tendons and bones, disperses stagnant fire.
bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology
- Pyrite medicinal liquid contains large amounts of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, calcium, and other elements; enhances biomechanical strength, promotes new bone formation, thereby promoting the proliferation of reticular cells and hemoglobin in the bone marrow and surrounding blood.
- Pyrite has varying degrees of antifungal effects against multiple pathogenic fungi.